Reducing machine



April 7, 1936 w. J. ARMSTRONG REDUCING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [NI/ENTOR Wa/fer- J. Arms fro/17.

April 1936- I w. J. ARMSTRONG 2,036,522

REDUC ING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 [N V'ENTOF? Wa/Per J. Arms fro/1L7 April 1936 w. J. ARMSTRONG 2,036,522

REDUC ING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i I I i i 1 [NVENTOR Wa/f'er J. Arms fronj.

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REDUOIN G MACHINE Walter J. Armstrong, Columbus, Ohio, asslgnor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, Golumbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 25, 1931, Serial No. 546,879 Claims. (01. 83-11) "The present invention relates to control method and means for the feed and discharge of rotary reducing machines for the shredding of wet fibrous material such as wood chips, cornstalks, bagasse, rags, etc.

, The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved feed and discharge control method and means adapted to the production of a relatively fine product in sufficiently large capac- 10 ity' to insure economical operation of such rotary reducing machines.

It is the purpose of this invention to feed material to the reducing machine and hold it in the machine under controlled or retarded discharge so that effective reduction is secured.

- According to the present invention, the feeding anddischarging means which are provided are capable of synchronization so that in continued operation an amount of material is discharged which is equal to the amount of material fed, a constant quantity of material being maintained in the working zone of the machine. This contributes to the production of a finished product of uniform fineness and eliminates-the possibility of 5 shock to the machine due to overloading and insures against undesirable rises in the power consumption which has been the inherent fault of machines as heretofore used.

1 According to one preferred embodiment of the 30 invention, the feeding and discharge means are preferably in the form of superposed conveyor runs, the upper conveyor run serving to' support and feed the material to the machine and the lower run serving to engage and remove the mate- 5- rial which has passed through the working zone.

The discharge end of the working zone is upwardly faced and the lower conveyor run being in overlying relation thereto may serve to hold the material in the working zone for more prolonged 40 action than has heretofore been possible. For example, the d scharge device may be operated at a speed insuflicient to remove the material at the speed with which it is passed through the work- I ing zone with a consequent backing up of thema- 45 ter'ial andprolonged action thereupon. At whatever rate" the discharge is effected, feeding is effected in ,consonance therewith. Preferably I- utilizea machine having a grid formed ofbars,

stacked .in laterally contacting relation, rather 6- than theusual spaced screen bar or similar arrangement. Under these circumstances, all of the, material which; is fed to the feeding end of, the

working zone is' passed out at the discharge end an hence is under the complete control of the dischargeapparatus."

In order to secure synchronized feeding and discharge effect, various arrangements are possible. According to one embodiment of the invention to be hereinafter described, I provide separate feed and discharge conveyors of substan- 5 tiaily the same capacity and having independent drives, each including change speed mechanism, the conveyors also being independent of each other, i. e., either one may remain stationary while the other is operated. On the other hand, 10 given two conveyors of substantially the same capacity and operated at substantially the same speed, synchronization of-their operating effect may be secured by proper adjustment of the openings-through which feed and discharge are cf- 1 fected.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper and lower runs above mentioned are the upper and lower runs of a single draft device so that relativeregulation of the 20 speeds of the runs is not possible. Synchronization is, therefore, secured by proper relative adjustment of the feed and discharge openings.

According to one method of operation of either embodiment of the invention, when operation of the machine is to be initiated, the discharge effect is held in abeyance until the material has been fed into the working zone to substantially fill the latter.

According to another method of operation of either embodiment of theinvention, when operation of the machine is to be initiated, the feed is stepped up, in either embodiment by adjustment of the feed opening and/or in the one embodiment by increasing the speed of the feed conveyor so that the amount of feed is greater than the amount that will be discharged, so operating the feed until material has been fed into the work ing zone to substantially fill the latter. Upon continuation of the feed, synchronized discharge is initiated so that a quantity of material substantially equal to that initially fed into the working zone is always maintained in the latter so that the most-favorable reducing effect and a uniform product are secured.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a plan view of a reducing machine with the device of the present invention applied thereto;

' Figure 2 is a section of the machine according toFigure 1 in a perpendicular plane at right angles to the rotor axis;

Figurel3 is an elevation of the machine of Figures iand 2; and l Figure 4 is a section taken similarly to that of Figure 2 of a machine embodying the invention in modified form.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 5 designates generally a frame in which is journaled shaft 6 upon which is fixed a rotor body i to which are pivoted the swing hammers or beaters 8, the directions of rotation of the rotor being that of the arrow, Figure 2. It should be stated at this point that the exact rotor construction is immaterial to the present invention and a rotor of well known form has been shown as a matter of convenience. Supported beneath the rotor in conformation therewith is a grid composed of, laterally contacting bars 9 arranged on an are concentric with the rotor and supported by means of members as at Hi. It wiil be noted that the tops of the bars 9 are provided with sharpened abutment edges faced into the direction of rotor rotation. The grid defines, together with the rotor, a reducing zone having upwardly faced feed and discharge ends.

Above the feed end of the reducing zone, the casing 5 is provided with a feeding throat I I and extending through the throat in substantially overlying relation to the feed end of the working zone is a feed conveyor which is generally indicated at l2.

Conveyor l2 comprises head and foot shafts I3 and I4 whose axes are in a substantially hori- I zontal plane and are parallel to the axis of shaft 6. Shafts l3 and is are journaled in the side walls of the casing and have fixed thereto head and foot wheels as at I5 and l6,which engage endless chains, as at II, the chains being connected by means of flights l8 which are in the form of angle bars having one web normal to the path of movement of the conveyor. The upper run of the conveyor is supported on a plate l2a which in turn is supported on shafts l9 and I4 through brackets I35; and lid.

Surmounting conveyor l2 and supported by the casing 5 is a hopper I9 whose lower open end is closed by the top run of conveyor l2 with the exception of a feed opening 29 between the hopper and throat II, the size of the opening being controllable through adjustment of a sliding gate 2|, which is frictionally maintained in adjusted position. It will be evident that with conveyor I2 moving in the direction of the arrow, material will be fed out of thehopper through the feed opening 29 and to the feeding end of the reducing zone at a rate dependent upon the speed of the conveyor and the adjustment of gate 2|.

At the discharge end of the reducing zone, a shaft 22 is journaled in the casing side walls and has brackets as at 23 swung thereon, the brackets having fixed thereto a longitudinally extensible frame 24 which has fixed to its other endv similar brackets as at 25, in which is journaled a shaft 26. Shafts 22 and 26 constitute'the head and foot shafts of a ccnveyorgenerallyindicated at 2?, head wheels as at 28 being fixed to'shaft 2E and engaging endless chains as at 3|) which support flights 3| similar to flights l8, above;de

scribed. 1 i

A discharge spout fixed to the casingat the discharge end of the working zone comprises a bottom apron 32 underlying the outer end of the conveyor 21 and side walls ,33 and 34, between which the end of the conveyor lies, Conveyor 21 is swingable about shaft 22 and fixed to frame 24 are a pair ofpoutwardly extending bolts which extend through arcuate slots 93' and 34 to be clamped to the latter by wing nuts as at 35. A

, discharge.

quantity of material is maintained therein.

, of the, arrow, Figure 2. Adjustable guides as at 36, Figure 2, may be provided in connection with the casing side walls for engaging and supporting the ends of flights 3| on the lower run of the conveyer and a bafile plate 31 underlying and supporting the flights I8 of conveyor 2 at the rearward portion of their lower run supports at itsrearward end a flexible baflie member 58 in yielding contact'with the flights 3| of conveyor The rotor shaft has fixed thereto a belt pulley 39 belted to any convenient source of power, while, as here shown, a small electric motor 40 is provided for the drive of conveyors l2 and 21. Reference numeral 4| designates a change speed detice of well known construction. A drive pulley 42 and a driven pulley 43 are connected by a belt 44 and through manipulation of a hand wheel 45 which actuates the lever 56, the size of one pulley may be increased while the size of the other is simultaneously and proportionately decreased so that a wide range of speed control with an infinite number of variations is obtainable. Drive pulley 42 is fixed on a shaft 4! and through a. clutch 28 under the control of a. lever 49 is adapted to be connected to a gear 50 which ieshes with armature pinion 5E. The power take-01f pulley 52 of the change speed device is in connection, by means of a belt 53, with a pulley 54 fixed on the head shaft I; of conveyor I2.

Reference numeral 55 designates a change speed device similar to that already described,

, whose drive shaft 56 may be connected by means I.

of a cluteh 5! under the control of a lever 58 with a gear 59 meshing with armature pinion El. The power take-offpulley 60 is connected,

by means of a belt.6|,with a puiiey 6 2 fixed on the head shaft 22 of conveyor 21.-

It will thus be evident that the conveyors l2 and 21 may be driven independently and at individually controlled speeds.

In the use of the machine, clutch 51 may be initially disengaged and clutch 48 engaged so that material in the hopper will be fed through gate 29 by conveyor 12, but its discharge will be prevented by conveyor 21 which is at rest. When sufficient material has been fed into the working zone to secure the best working eifect; therein,'

eonveyor 21 is setin m otion through engagement of clutch 51 and thereupon the feeding and discharge effects may be synchronized through control of the conveyor speeds, through adjustment of gate 2|, and through adjustment of the discharge opening through vertical adjustment pf the outer end of conveyor 21 which vfm'msthe upper boundary of the discharge opening.

Another method of fillingfthe working zone upon starting the machine isv to open the gate 2| so that the relative feed will be greater than the Either method may be successfully employed but it should be understood that te obtain the bestresults in reduction the'feedand discharge should be synchronized immediately after the working zone is filled so that a constant Asexplained above, an imperforategrldispref ing principle of the improved machine. Spaced screen bars or other screening means may be used under certain circumstances and since in such case a portion of the material will escape from the working zone through the cage openings, it will be understood that conveyor 21 would be run at a proportionately slower speed than conveyor [2. With the machine set for synchronized feed and discharge, and since the speed of the conveyors is independent of the speed of the rotor, it will be evident that the nature of the product may be varied without varying the speed of the rotor. For example, a finer product will be secured when the speed of the feed and discharge is decreased relative to that of the rotor.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4, the feed and discharge mechanisms are constituted by portions of a single endless conveyor 63. A head shaft 64 journaled in the side walls of the frame has wheels as at 65 fixed thereto and engaging endless chains as at 6B which pass over wheels as at 61 on a shaft 68 journaled in the frame and over foot wheels 69 on a shaft I0 supported on a frame H which is swingable about shaft 68. The endless chains carry material engaging flights 12 similar to those described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The upper runs of the chains between shafts 64 and 68 are supported on a plate 63a which in turn is supported on the shafts through brackets 64a and 68a, the latter being independent of the mounting means for frame H on shaft 68. The rearward end of the conveyor is adjustable relative to the discharge apron about shaft 68 and is securable in adjusted position by means of outwardly projecting bolts on frame ll extending through slots as at 13 and provided with wing nuts outwardly thereof. Guides as at H fixed to the side wall of the casing support the ends of flights 12 on the lower run of the conveyor. Shaft 64 is driven through speed change mechanism such as has been described hereinbefore.

According to this embodiment of the invention, synchronization of feed and discharge is secured through adjustment of the feed and discharge openings. In initiating operation of the machine, the conveyor may be disconnected from its drive and feed effected manually until the working zone is filled to the proper degree. Conveyor 63 is then set in motion, the forward portion of its upper run serving as a feed conveyor and the rearward portion of its lower run serving as a discharge conveyor.

Another method of initiating operation is to open the feed gate and allow the conveyor to carry in a greater amount of material to the working zone than can be discharged by the conveyor.

It will be understood that the invention is capable of embodiment in forms other than those shown and described, and accordingly, I do not limit myself except as in the following claims.-

I claim:

1. The combination with a reducing machine of the class described, said machine comprising a casing with feed and discharge openings, of a conveyor section arranged to effect material feed through said feed opening, a conveyor section arranged to effect discharge through said discharge opening, said discharge conveyor section constituting the top boundary of said discharge opening and being adjustable to vary the capacity of said discharge opening, and means for retaining said discharge mechanism in adjusted position.

2. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a. rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of an endless conveyor having runs overlying the ends of saidzone and operative to effect feed thereto and discharge therefrom.

3. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of endless conveyor runs overlying the ends of said zone and operative to effect feed thereto and discharge therefrom, the conveyor runs being the superposed runs of a single draft device, the material resting on the top run for feed thereby and rising under the bottom run to be engaged and discharged thereby.

4. The combination with a reducing machine,

said machine comprising a rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of apparatus arranged to feed material to the feeding end of said zone, and a conveyor having a bottom run overlying the discharge end of said zone to engage and remove material passed through said zone, and means for regulating the 0 speed of said conveyor to synchronize its operation with that of the feed apparatus.

5. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of an endless conveyor arranged to support and feed material to the feeding end of said zone, and a conveyor having a bottom run overlying the discharge end of said zone to engage and remove material passed through said zone, and drive means for the conveyors including means for varying the relative speeds of the conveyors.

6. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of an endless conveyor arranged to support and feed material to the feeding end of said zone, and a conveyor having a bottom run overlying the discharge end of said zone to engage and remove material passed through said zone, and

drive means for the conveyors including change speed mechanism for each of the conveyors.

7. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor mounted on a horizontal axis and means mounted beneath the rotor and defining therewith a reducing zone having upwardly faced feeding and discharge ends, of an endless conveyor arranged to support and feed material to the feeding end'of said zone, and a conveyor having a bottom run overlying the discharge end of said zone to engage and remove material passed through said zone, and independently operable drive means for the conveyors.

8. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor and means mounted adjacent the rotor and defining therewith a confined reducing zone having feeding and discharge ends, of mechanism arranged to feed material to the feeding end of said zone, a con veyor having a run adjacent the discharge end of said zone, said conveyor being of such width and said run being so disposed as to extend substantially across said discharge end, the conveyor being of a construction to prevent the passage therethrough of reduced material, said run defining a portion of a discharge opening and serving to engage and discharge material out of said zone, the arrangement beingsuch that material is passed through said zone under the impelling action of the rotor at a rate determined by the discharge action of said conveyor run, and means for regulating the speed of said conveyor to synchronize its operation with that of the said mech 9. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor and means mounted adjacent the rotor and defining therewith a confined reducing zone having feeding and discharge ends, of an endless conveyor arranged to support and feed material to the feeding end of said zone, a discharge conveyor having a run adjacent the discharge end of said zone, said discharge conveyor being of such width and said run being so disposed as to extend substantially across said discharge end, the conveyor being of a construction to prevent the passage therethrough of reduced material, said runs defining a portion of a discharge opening and serving to engage and discharge material out of said zone, the arrangement being such that material is passed through said zone under the impelling action of the rotor at a rate determined by the discharge action of said conveyor run, and drive means for the conveyors including means for varying the relative speeds of the conveyors. I 7

10. The combination with a reducing machine, said machine comprising a rotor and means mounted adjacent the rotor and defining therewith a confined reducing zone having feeding and discharge ends, of endless conveyor runs of which one is disposed adjacent the feeding end of said zone and is operative to efiect feed thereto, another of said runs being adjacent the discharge end of said zone and being of such width and so disposed as to extend substantially across said discharge end, said other run being of a construction to prevent the passage of reduced material therethrough and defining a portion of a discharge opening and serving to engage and discharge material out of said zone, the arrangement being such that material is passed through said zone under the impelling action of the rotor at a rate determined by the discharge action of said other run, the conveyor runs being the opposite runs of atsingle endless draft device.

WALTER J. ARMSTRONG. 

